motivation, different players. It's a special country with a special culture.'

Key members of Mourinho's coaching team are also eager to work in England again. 'Of course Jose would be honoured to be approached by the FA,' said another friend. 'Jose likes the football in England, the fans, the crowds and everything. He wants to have the chance to speak to the FA about this job.'

But Mourinho is not prepared to wait indefinitely for the FA and will return to club football if an attractive opening arises at a major European team before any England offer. Mendes has been asked to ready his client for the potential departures of Bernd Schuster and Frank Rijkaard from Real Madrid and Barcelona. Though Schuster's team are top of the table, the German has upset members of the Madrid hierarchy. Rijkaard's position is particularly fragile after a difficult start to the season and heavy criticism of the Dutchman's laissez-faire managerial style. His assistant Johan Neeskens has told friends that he believes the pair will be replaced in La Liga's winter break regardless of results in a series of fixtures that culminate with a Camp Nou clasico against Real.

Both positions appeal to Mourinho, who is aware that the fixture on 23 December could open up one or the other. He and his coaching staff have begun to devise outline strategies for each club. They have also discussed Juventus, which they consider the most likely Italian side to offer employment before the new year. Internazionale, who are top of Serie A, are Mourinho admirers. Appropriate salary and conditions, however, will be vital to entice him.

The FA have dispensed with the drawn-out double-interview process that led to McClaren's unpopular appointment 18 months ago. Instead they have charged chief executive Brian Barwick with identifying the man he considers best for the position. The 12...#8209;man FA Board will then meet to consider Barwick's proposal. Chairman Geoff Thompson said: 'Brian will make recommendations and it is up to the board to establish whom he took advice from before he made the recommendation.'

Noting that England's next international is not until February, Barwick has said there is no need to rush. Asked if there was a danger of missing out on a candidate of Mourinho's calibre by waiting too long, he said: 'The most important thing is that we get the right person. The length of time it will take will be the length of time to get the right person.'

As it was in 2006 when he was overruled by other members of the FA's selection committee, Barwick's preference would be to appoint Martin O'Neill, though the Aston Villa manager is intent on playing hard to get. When asked to give a 'definitive answer' on Friday, O'Neill said he was 'uncomfortable, but more importantly than that the issue is a commitment here to Aston Villa'.

The Northern Irishman then went on to say that he thought he would make a 'brilliant' England manager. 'It's not particularly self-effacing but I do. My ego thinks I would be good at it and, actually, the rest of me thinks I would be brilliant at it as well.'

Members of O'Neill's staff at Villa are known to be unsure about his future. Regardless of Friday's carefully expressed words he is understood to still be interested in leading England, but only under certain conditions. He would not be prepared to go through an extensive interview process and would demand to be joined by a back-up staff that proved unacceptable to the FA in 2006.

Luiz Felipe Scolari retains an ambition to become England manager despite his anger with the FA's impatient approach to him before the 2006 World Cup and will definitely quit Portugal after Euro 2008. However, an appointment of the Brazilian will not be countenanced. 'After last time we wouldn't touch him with a barge pole,' said an FA source. While Jurgen Klinsmann is also interested - as is Bernd Schuster according to reports in Spain - he would require the kind of multi-discipline support team he was granted for Germany's 2006 World Cup campaign.